Alzheimer’s Disease: The Challenge of the Second Century

NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE
Alzheimer’s Disease: The Challenge of the Second Century
David M. Holtzman1,2,3,4,*, John C. Morris1,3,4,5 and Alison M. Goate1,3,4,6
+ Author Affiliations

1Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
2Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
3Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
4Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
5Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
6Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
*↵To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: holtzman@neuro.wustl.edu
Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was first described a little more than 100 years ago. It is the most common cause of dementia with an estimated prevalence of 30 million people worldwide, a number that is expected to quadruple in 40 years. There currently is no effective treatment that delays the onset or slows the progression of AD. However, major scientific advances in the areas of genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, and neuroscience over the past 25 years have changed the way we think about AD. This review discusses some of the challenges to translating these basic molecular and cellular discoveries into clinical therapies. Current information suggests that if the disease is detected before the onset of overt symptoms, it is possible that treatments based on knowledge of underlying pathogenesis can and will be effective.